One Community/One Book 2012: The Book

From Barefoot Heart:

In the spring of 1953, Apá interrupted our family life at Tio Alfredo’s to take us to work in the beet fields of Minnesota. Since we had no car, we went in a troca encamisade with another family. The back of this huge truck was covered with dark red canvas… The man who owned the truck was nick-named “El Indio” because his skin, like that of an Indian, was the same color as the canvas, a dark, strong red. I thought he must be very rich to own a huge truck like that. We, on the other hand, owned no car, no house, almost nothing…

Barefoot Heart: Stories of a Migrant Child, was a winner of the American Book Award and the American Library Association’s Alex Award for books with a special appeal for young adults. It is the One Community/One Book selection for 2012.